The European Union in Prophecy by Ellen White

The European Union in Prophecy
Satan had made it appear that he himself was seeking to promote the good of the
universe. The true character of the usurper, and his real object, must be understood
by all. He must have time to manifest himself by his wicked works.
The discord which his own course had caused in heaven, Satan charged upon the
law and government of God. All evil he declared to be the result of the divine
administration. He claimed that it was his own object to improve upon the statutes of
Jehovah. Therefore it was necessary that he should demonstrate the nature of his
claims, and show the working out of his proposed changes in the divine law. His own
work must condemn him. Satan had claimed from the first that he was not in rebellion.
The whole universe must see the deceiver unmasked.
Even when it was decided that he could no longer remain in heaven, Infinite
Wisdom did not destroy Satan. Since the service of love can alone be acceptable to
God, the allegiance of His creatures must rest upon a conviction of His justice and
benevolence. The inhabitants of heaven and of other worlds, being unprepared to
comprehend the nature or consequences of sin, could not then have seen the justice
and mercy of God in the destruction of Satan. Had he been immediately blotted from
existence, they would have served God from fear rather than from love. The influence
of the deceiver would not have been fully destroyed, nor would the spirit of rebellion
have been utterly eradicated. Evil must be permitted to come to maturity. For the
good of the entire universe through ceaseless ages Satan must more fully develop his
principles, that his charges against the divine government might be seen in their true
light by all created beings, that the justice and mercy of God and the immutability of
His law might forever be placed beyond all question.
Satan's rebellion was to be a lesson to the universe through all coming ages, a
perpetual testimony to the nature and terrible results of sin. The working out of
Satan's rule, its effects upon both men and angels, would show what must be the fruit
of setting aside the divine authority. It would testify that with the existence of God's
government and His law is bound up the well-being of all the creatures He has made.
Thus the history of this terrible experiment of rebellion was to be perpetual safeguard
to all holy intelligences, to prevent them from being deceived as to the nature of
transgression, to save them from committing sin and suffering its punishments.
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